Red Roses in a Crater
by applemysteries
Summary: The gang finds time to honor some memories, and say some goodbyes.


Okay, just another idea I've had for a while. If it's been done before, I'm sorry, not my fault. This takes place after Chosen, so Anya and Spike are dead and Sunnydale's a crater. I guess you could look at it as, the gang stays there for a while, and some of them decide to do this. Where they get the roses from I don't know. :) Hope you like it, if you don't thats okay too.

Disclaimer: This is Make Believe, Mkay?

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We all filed out of the bus completely silent. Each one of us clutched a rose in are hand. I didn't know how they'd come about with the idea, or how they had gotten the roses, but we did and now it was time to honor some memories. We all walked to the crater and fearlessly, Faith sat down on the edge, her legs dangling over the side. Everyone quickly followed her example, Dawn sitting on her side and I took her other side, Willow sitting next to me, Xander on her side. The line continued down that way, until we got to Andrew who was on the end. We all just looked at him until he cleared his throat and began.

"Um… I'd like to give this rose to Jonathan, because he was my best friend and, and I killed him. I'm really sorry Jonathan." Andrew closed his eyes and let the rose fall into the crater. We all sat in silence for a few minutes before Vi spoke up.

"This is for all the potentials that didn't make it. Like Molly and Amanda." She dropped her rose and I watched it until it become a little speck of red. We sat in silence again until Giles cleared his throat. I looked up, who would he remember?

"This is for Ms. Calendar… Jenny." He dropped it and I felt my first wave of sadness. Only a few people in the group knew about her. I never realized how hard her death must still be on Giles, he loved her. Part of him always would. We sat in silence again though I doubt many people were really having memories of her. I was though, I didn't realize it but i had felt guilt for her death. She'd tried to help, and I'd pushed her away. I'd made everyone else-including Giles- push her away to. I looked up at Xander, it was his turn now, and we all knew who his rose would go to.

"Anya… I'm sorry I left you at the altar, and i'm sorry that we ruined are chance. I will always love you." He dropped the rose and it descended quickly. I felt tears pricking at my eyes, and I realized I would really miss Anya, she'd been one of my best friends no matter what anyone said. I heard sniffling beside me and looked, almost everyone was teary eyed. We would all miss Anya. We waited even longer than before, remembering her, all the things she had done, that we could never fully appreciate until now.

"This is for Tara. I love you baby." Willow the rose slip slowly from her fingers and started crying. Her rose traveled down so slowly. And I closed my eyes remembering Tara, I missed her. Why did all the good people die? I closed my eyes until I could feel all the eyes on me, waiting for me to open them and say who I would be honoring. Who I loved or missed, or both. I slowly opened them and took a deep breath. I just had to get through this sentence and then I could cry all I wanted, he never wanted me to be strong. He wanted me to be me.

"This is for Spike." I took a deep breath, just get through the sentence for him. "I love you." I whispered it really quietly but everyone heard it. I started crying, tears rolling down my cheeks. He was supposed to be the one that never left… I opened my eyes and looked around at everyone, were weren't even done yet and everyone -except for Faith- was crying. I turned towards Faith, It wasn't enough time to honor Spike's memory but it never would be. I could spend my whole life trying but he wouldn't want that. He'd want me to be happy. So I would be. I inclined my head towards Faith and she nodded and fixed her eyes on the rose. We all waited for her to say who the rose was going to but she never did, she just stared at it and then let it fall. The silence for that rose was longer, almost as though Faith had strategically planned it. Dawn cut the silence short though, her voice thick with emotion.

"This is for Mom. I… We miss you so much." I watched my sister's rose fall down into the ground, and started sobbing harder then before. Everyone was gone. They were all down in that pit. And there was nothing left to remember them by. Not Amanda, Molly, Jonathan, Ms. Calendar, My Mom, Anya, Tara, or Spike. They were all gone. And there was nothing left to remember them by. Nothing except for red roses in a crater.


End file.
